Scouting Report: WR Deebo Samuel, South Carolina

Scouting Report: WR Deebo Samuel, South Carolina

Over the next several months, we are going to be taking an extensive look at hundreds of draft prospects. With the Oakland Raiders having four selections inside of the top-35, we will do our best to evaluate all of the top prospects a few different times. Today, we are taking a look at South Carolina wide receiver Deebo Samuel.

Awards and Honors:

2018 First-Team All-American

2018 First-Team All-SEC

2016 Steve Wadiak Co-Most Valuable Player

2016 Steve Spurrier Most Valuable Player – Offense

2016 Most Explosive Player – Offense

2016 Joe Morrison Offensive Player of the Spring

2015 Spring Big Plays Award – Offense

Advanced Statistics:

Team Reception Share: 24%

Team Yardage Share: 24%

Team TD Share: 36%

Strengths:

Can do everything on the football field. Took snaps as a wide receiver, slot receiver, running back, quarterback and as a returner.

Great competitor. Plays to the whistle on every snap.

Extremely difficult to bring down after the catch. Strong upper-body. Elite after the catch.

Above average route runner. Knows how to get open and will catch anything thrown his way.

Will win in contested areas of the field. Not afraid to high-point the football.

Not afraid to block. Technique needs some work, but Samuel has the right mentality in the run game.

Weaknesses:

Doesn’t have elite speed or quickness.

Doesn’t create a lot of separation as an outside receiver.

Lacks elite body control. Fairly small catch radius.

Has an extensive injury history. Samuel’s lack of durability is going to be a significant question mark for NFL teams.

How He Fits:

Oakland needs help at all three wide receiver positions. Samuel would give the Raiders a weapon who could be deployed all over the field and it likely wouldn’t require them to use one of their three first-round picks. His ability to take short passes and turn them into significant gains would be a perfect fit with Jon Gruden and Derek Carr.

Player Comparison: D.J. Moore, Panthers

Final Grade – 3rd round

Samuel isn’t as explosive as D.J.Moore, but they both win in similar ways. In the NFL, Samuel’s best role will be as a slot receiver who can make plays after the catch. He will also provide special team’s ability and can take handoffs out of the backfield. Samuel probably doesn’t have the upside to be a WR1 in the NFL, but he can be a quality second or third target for a pass-heavy team. Considering his age and his injury history, I have a third-round grade on Samuel.

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